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Drobo Question
Hey Guys,
I’ve been searching a lot over the last few days, trying to understand something about the drobo box (in this case the 4-bay model). I can’t seem to figure out if what I’m trying to do with Drobo is possible.
I’d like to have two internal hard drives to start, but I want them to appear as two separate drives in my finder. Based on a few videos and posts I’ve seen it seems drobo just reads as ONE big disk. I would essentially like to shoot an entire project, edit it completely, and save final versions of it all onto one drive. At the same time I’d like to be backing up to a separate drive, both being plugged into the Drobo box. This makes my workflow easier for me, seeing as all I have to do is take out one project’s hard drive and swap it for another.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
-Scott
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13 Replies
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Why Drobo? If you’re uncomfortable configuring hard drives the solution is to ask questions and get comfortable. Configuring hard drives is easy.
David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor/Colorist
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los Angeles
https://www.drwfilms.comPOST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™
A forum host of Creative COW’s Business & Marketing and Apple Final Cut Pro forums. Formerly host of the Apple Final Cut Basics, Indie Film & Documentary, and Film History & Appreciations forums.
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For me I think it’s more cost efficient to, over time, purchase internal hard drives rather than continually purchasing external hard drives at a premium. We might be talking about two different things, I’m really just wondering if Drobo does allow each drive to be seen as it’s own drive and not one combined mass storage unit.
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[Scott Faranda] “For me I think it’s more cost efficient to, over time, purchase internal hard drives rather than continually purchasing external hard drives at a premium. “
That is true, and that is precisely why I asked, and presumably why you came to this forum, which is all about arrays and RAIDs. Right?
Drobo is an automated solution essentially designed for people who are afraid to put a hard drive into a drive sled using 2 to 4 tiny screws, then slipping that into an enclosure. The bottom line is, dealing with hard drives is not difficult at all. And, rather than focusing on Drobo, which is really not the proper tool for the job you’re looking to accomplish, you would be much better off telling us what editing system you use, and asking us for the best solution for your needs.
For instance, you would be far better off with something like this: https://www.stardom-usa.com/product_detail.php?p_id=27, or with their 2-drive solution.
David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor/Colorist
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los Angeles
https://www.drwfilms.comPOST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™
A forum host of Creative COW’s Business & Marketing and Apple Final Cut Pro forums. Formerly host of the Apple Final Cut Basics, Indie Film & Documentary, and Film History & Appreciations forums.
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I don’t think it will let you do what you are trying to do. It will only offer you JBOD or RAID options. What you want is a couple of these:
https://www.newertech.com/products/voyagerq.php
Best,
Andy RichardsVP of Product Development
Keeper Technology -
That looks like it might be exactly what I need! I might just return the drobo in this case. I really appreciate it. To elaborate more, what I’d be using it for is:
One hard drive backing up using time capsule.
Another for current video project I am working on. (keep in mind I do use FCP and i use multicam with 2 high def cameras)
Another slot for all of my video and photo storage.
Another slot for misc.Is that device still a good option? and if so what model?
Thanks Again!
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That’s not a bad idea either. There are units that even have two drive slots.
David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor/Colorist
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los Angeles
https://www.drwfilms.comPOST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™
A forum host of Creative COW’s Business & Marketing and Apple Final Cut Pro forums. Formerly host of the Apple Final Cut Basics, Indie Film & Documentary, and Film History & Appreciations forums.
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Andrew,
I decided to go with your suggestion, I just purchased this https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0026S7HP0.
I also picked up a USB only version (cheaper) just for use with backup.
Thanks again for the help fellas! Saved me a few bucks and more importantly some heartbreak!The only thing I’m still wondering about, is there any increased danger with having a dock like that as far as dust and stuff like that goes? I’m sure there is but what’s good general practice for using one? I picked up a few cases for the HDD when it isn’t being docked.
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[Scott Faranda] ” is there any increased danger with having a dock like that as far as dust and stuff like that goes?”
You’re not really supposed to leave the docks up and running, as they have no cooling mechanism, etc. However, modern SATA drives run pretty cool, so it’s not a huge deal if you happen to leave them on every once in a while. For the most part though, you should use them for copying and doing your backups, then disconnect them when they’re not performing their intended function. They’ll last a lot longer that way too.
David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor/Colorist
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los Angeles
https://www.drwfilms.comPOST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™
A forum host of Creative COW’s Business & Marketing and Apple Final Cut Pro forums. Formerly host of the Apple Final Cut Basics, Indie Film & Documentary, and Film History & Appreciations forums.
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So does that mean I shouldn’t be using it for use with final cut?
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Not for day to day editing. I thought you said you bought some type of additional enclosures for that purpose.
David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor/Colorist
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los Angeles
https://www.drwfilms.comPOST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™
A forum host of Creative COW’s Business & Marketing and Apple Final Cut Pro forums. Formerly host of the Apple Final Cut Basics, Indie Film & Documentary, and Film History & Appreciations forums.
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